Sean Karani has completed a permanent move from Ventura County FC to Sarasota Paradise in a free transfer, joining the USL League One side on a contract running from 2026-02-04 to 2025-06-30. The 25-year-old right winger, who holds both United States and Kenya nationality, leaves MLS Next Pro to step into the third tier of the U.S. pyramid with the Florida-based club.
The deal sees Sarasota acquire Karani without a transfer fee after his spell at Ventura County, with no official market value recorded at the time of the move. The switch keeps the Wichita-born attacker in the United States system but places him in a new competitive environment, as Sarasota Paradise continue to shape their squad for the upcoming campaign in USL League One.
Karani arrives with a varied development path across American soccer. He came through the Sporting Kansas City Academy and featured for Sporting Kansas City II on loan, gaining early experience in the professional setup. From there he moved into the college game with Temple Owls (Temple University), including loan spells to FC Florida U23 and Fort Wayne FC, before transferring to UCLA Bruins (University of California, Los Angeles). In 2024 he left UCLA for Ventura County FC, where he made the step into MLS Next Pro before sealing this latest move to Sarasota.
Capable of playing across the attack but primarily deployed on the right wing, Karani brings pace and direct running to Sarasota’s forward line. His progression from academy football in Kansas, through NCAA programs on both coasts, and now into the USL structure underlines a career built entirely within the American system, despite his Kenyan eligibility at international level.
The transfer continues a pattern in Karani’s career of short but significant spells: Sporting Kansas City II on loan, multiple loan returns between Temple Owls and FC Florida U23, a temporary stint at Fort Wayne FC, then moves through UCLA and Ventura County before landing at Sarasota Paradise. Each step has kept him within competitive environments, from youth and college soccer to professional reserve and lower-division clubs.
While no performance statistics, recent match details, or season appearance numbers are listed for his time at Ventura County, the move indicates Sarasota’s intent to add an experienced yet still prime-age wide option with professional and collegiate mileage. For Karani, the transition to USL League One offers an opportunity to convert his varied background into consistent senior minutes in a national league setting.
If he settles quickly in Florida and secures a regular starting role on the right flank, this contract period could prove decisive in shaping his reputation as a reliable attacking outlet in the U.S. lower leagues and potentially reopening pathways higher up the domestic ladder or abroad in the future.
